The Knights amassed a 49-37 halftime lead Wednesday night, firing a blistering 70.4 percent from the field.

However, Rice opened the second half on a 13-2 run. The Owls forced UCF to give up 10 second-half turnovers and seemed to steal the Knights' energy.

"I don't think they changed a whole lot, we just didn't do a very good job of handling their pressure," UCF coach Donnie Jones said. "We got out of running the pick-and-roll and were trying to do too much one-on-one. We turned the ball over a lot and that was the difference in the game.

UCF (19-7 overall, 8-5 in C-USA) was hoping to make a run in the crowded race for the Conference USA title. After losing to Rice (16-12, 7-6 in C-USA), the Knights are battling to hold on to a first-round bye in the C-USA tournament by remaining among the top four teams.

Junior F Keith Clanton led all scorers with 16 first-half points, but he twisted his ankle in the second half and could only manage two more points. Foul trouble hobbled junior C Josh Crittle and sophomore G Isaiah Sykes.

Jones said he wanted the Knights, who grew frustrated with the officiating late in the game, to show more maturity under pressure.

UCF returns home to face a tough UTEP (14-13, 7-6 in C-USA) team that has recently defeated C-USA leaders Memphis, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Tipoff for the Knights' game against UTEP is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at UCF Arena.